Names and location
Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is the common geographic name; Sakyamuni Pagoda is the pagoda’s title; Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple is the fuller formal name. Fogong Temple is the temple precinct and the pagoda is its principal historic structure.
These names refer to the same monument. The archive preserves them as alternate names so searches for Yingxian Pagoda, Fogong Temple Pagoda and Sakyamuni Pagoda lead to the same evidence.
Date and historical status
The pagoda was completed in 1056. The 1194 plaque reading “Sakyamuni Pagoda” is important evidence for later work. Liang Sicheng and Mo Zongjiang surveyed and photographed the building in 1933, placing it at the centre of modern Chinese architectural history.
It became one of China’s first nationally protected monuments in 1961. Since 2013 it has formed part of China’s UNESCO Tentative List proposal for Liao-dynasty timber structures; tentative status is not the same as inscription on the World Heritage List.
Five storeys outside, nine levels inside
The exterior has five storeys and six eaves. Four hidden structural levels between the open storeys bring the internal total to nine. Beams, columns, bracket sets and diagonal braces connect inner and outer rings into a tall octagonal frame.
The pagoda’s many bracket configurations transfer the deep eaves toward the columns while permitting controlled movement at timber joints. The visual archive catalogues columns, hidden levels, brackets, frames, joints and the finial separately.
Why two heights are published
67.31 metres is the conventional and reconstructed figure associated with Chen Mingda’s study. A 2011 survey recorded a present height of 65.84 metres. They use different measurement scopes and should be cited with their source rather than treated as a simple contradiction.
Plaques, murals and Buddhist statuary
The monument combines architecture, inscriptions and Buddhist images. Historical records count 52 plaques. Murals survive on the first storey, while the five open storeys contain distinct groups of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, disciples and attendants.
This archive separates object-level evidence from reference images. Records without a verified corresponding image remain explicitly pending.
How to use this research archive
Use the visual archive for plaques, murals, statuary, timber structure, drawings and photographs. Use the research archive for papers, reports, articles and books. Every record has a stable URL, identifier, status and source.
The site is a guide to evidence, not a replacement for formal surveys and publications. Scholarly citation and reuse should be checked against the original source and licence.